Medical professionals and paramedics were sensitised to techniques of specialised maintenance of circulation in organs, harvested from cadavers, at a meet held at the medical college hospital here on Thursday.
The State-level transplant authority, TRANSTAN, conducted the meet, the first of its kind here, for the benefit of healthcare specialists in the region. The participants were oriented to the concept of brainstem death and not just stopping of heart or cardiac arrest as “death.” It was explained that the brain stem was like the main switch of the body and when the brain stem ceased to function, then life was not possible thereafter.
However, even when the brain stem ceases to function, select organs remain active by the blood pumped by the heart.
Speakers said that those organs could be of use to those suffering from organ failure. Organs such as heart and lungs, liver, kidneys, skin, cornea, joints and bone harvested from the dead could help prolong the life of others who required them. They said that the Tamil Nadu Cadaver Transplant Program started in October 2008 to facilitate harvesting of organs and furnishing them to patients with organ failure has been doing a yeoman service to hundreds of patients.
With the cooperation of many transplantation hospitals across the State, there have been 649 cadaver donors, donating organs to 3,572 recipients. Since Tamil Nadu ranks first in cadaver organ donation in India, the Centre has designated Tamil Nadu as the regional centre for the southern States.
P.G. Sankaranarayanan, Dean, TMCH, recalled that the first live related renal transplant was done in the TMCH on February 20 this year and the patient was recovering well.
Special equipment and infrastructure needed for organ harvesting was available in the facility.
The required empanelling of doctors to certify the brainstem death was in progress.
Around 40 doctors and 20 paramedics from Thanjavur Medical College and private hospitals attended the programme.
